Ashes: 'He muttered something. I had to bite back as I normally do,' David Warner admits

David Warner of Australia and bowler Tom Curran of England exchange words after Warner reached his century. Photo / Getty

The ugly side of Ashes cricket came to the surface on Boxing Day when David Warner was involved in yet another spat with England fielders.

Warner appeared to mouth abuse at Jonny Bairstow after Tom Curran, on his debut, had provoked the Australian with verbals of his own. Bairstow and other senior England players then joined Curran, helping out the youngster as he battled it out with one of cricket's most aggressive players.

At one stage it looked as though James Anderson was asking umpire Sundaram Ravi whether he had heard what Warner said as the official stepped in to calm down fraying tempers.

Sledging was a recurrent theme of the first two tests, particularly in Brisbane as both sides looked to take the initiative in the series. Warner upset England at the Gabba and there were more flashpoints in Adelaide.

But in Perth both sides were much calmer and even though it was denied officially, it looked as if match referee, Richie Richardson, had told the players to behave better or he would start to take action. Richardson has left, to be replaced by Ranjan Madugalle, the ICC's most senior match referee, for the Melbourne-Sydney leg of the series.

Warner admitted afterwards that things had gone too far at one stage in the series but believed the Boxing Day clash was just heat of the moment, adrenaline-fuelled confrontation as he came down from the high of his test hundred and Curran tried to cope with the crushing blow of his no ball.

Curran can expect some heat when he comes out to bat. Warner has a long memory. "It was just one of those things where the bowler's going to be annoyed that he overstepped the mark. He muttered something, I didn't let it go, I obviously had to bite back as I normally do. It always comes with a game of cricket. When he comes out to bat I might start going."

Curran became the third England bowler in five years after Ben Stokes and Mark Wood to have a first test wicket ruled out by a no ball but his pain was made worse for doing it in the Boxing Day Ashes test, the biggest occasion of all in front of a crowd of 88, 172.

"The umpires do work hard to let you know when you're pushing the line," said James Anderson. "The third umpires are in their ear telling them when you're over. If it gets called, then you're more likely to definitely come back. It's difficult, you want to be behind the line as much as possible, but with the adrenalin, and Tom wanting to impress in his first test match, he just put a bit of extra effort."